Scalloped belt engaging tangent for ribbing on centering and idler tracking rollers

ABSTRACT

A serrated or scalloped tangent surface on ribbing for tracking rollers disposed to engage and grip ribbon strips of material such as belting with a positive traction therebetween. A series of equally spaced V grooves formed across the belt engaging tangent of ribbing and transverse to the lineal axis of the ribbing to provide intermediate lands. The provision of tooth like barbs on at least one edge of the V-shaped grooves of such scalloping and the variation in grip dependent upon belt characteristics by greater or lesser recessing of such ribbing into the peripheral surface of the roller.

United States Patent Conrad May 28, 1974 Primary Examiner-Leonard H. Gerin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Schatzel & Hamrick [76] Inventor: Rene Conrad, 700 Catamaran, San [57] ABSTRACT Mateo, Calif. A serrated or scalloped tangent surface on ribbing for [22] Filed June 1972 tracking rollers disposed to engage and grip ribbon [21] Appl. No.: 267,139 strips of material such as belting with a positive traction therebetween, A series of equally spaced V grooves formed across the belt engaging tangent of [52] U.S. Cl. 74/240 ribbing and transverse to the lineal axis of the ribbing [51] Int. Cl. Fl6h 7/18 [58] d S h 74,240 230 5 230 3 to provide intermediate lands. The provision of tooth 0 can like barbs on at least one edge of the V-shaped grooves of such scalloping and the variation in grip de- [56] References Cited pendent upon belt characteristics by greater or lesser UNITED STATES PATENTS recessing of such ribbing into the peripheral surface of 2,622,448 1/1952 Lorig 74/240 the roller. 3,713,348 l/l973 Conrad et al. 74/240 12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures a a T t 1 E 2 fg 5| 4 l l I 2 E I l I l I Q I T I I 2 Z I l T 1 -i HJLII T E' -IHII I -.,-iu I g L. I

SCALLOPED BELT ENGAGING TANGENT FOR RIBBING ON CENTERING AND IDLER TRACKING ROLLERS BACKGROUND This invention relates to belt aligning and tracking rollers and more particularly to spiral ribbed rollers for effecting positive traction to belting.

It has long been a problem to obtain effective traction between belting and pulleys in all types of systems whether of the endless belt type of either long or short centers as well as high or low speed conveyor systems.

In the case of steel rollers driving either leather, canvas or rubber belting it has been a practice to apply a coating of rubber and the like on the steel rollers to achieve better tracking. It has also been the practice to form spiral ribbing to the coating of such rollers for acquiring a centering and spreading action. This form of roller is shown in US. Pat. No. 1,568,401 which issued to Griffeth on Jan. 5, 1926.

More recently and as described and disclosed my copending application, Ser. No. 183,808 filed Sept. 27, I97 I the setting of hellically coiled wire ribbing on the rollers has been a very effective means for achieving more positive centering and aligning of belting relative to the roller. One of the features of the invention in the spirally coiled wire ribbing of that application entailed a wave form impressed into the wire to provide undulations affording better gripping action against the beltmg.

The present invention is directed to an improved form of wire ribbing applied to the basic roller whether of the driving or of the idler type.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates the provision of wire ribbing applied to conveyor rollers for presenting a belt engaging surface adapted to create a more effective and positive tracking thereto.

It is an object of this invention to provide a wire type ribbing with a scalloped belt engaging surface. This object envisions a plurality of equally spaced V grooves formed chordally across the wire ribbing at the belt engaging tangent thereof. Such tangent scalloping affords a gripping action against belting as it engages the same.

It is another object to provide such scalloped wire ribbing with a feathered crescent edge at one side of each of the chordally formed V groovestherein. This has a greater positive gripping action against the surface of the belting engaged thereby.

Such scalloped wire ribbing alleviates the problems entailed in rubber lagged or coated pulleys and rollers. The scalloping with feathered drive edge is most effective in contact with TEFLON coated woven fabric fiberglas belting which has heretofore been most difficult to track and more difficult to center and spread evenly widthwise during such tracking. With such delicate woven fabric belting it has been discovered that the recessing of the scalloped wire ribbing to a depth for presenting only a portion of the scalloped tangent to such belting affords added traction by engagement of the roller surface as well thereto.

Along with the use of the scalloped belt engaging wire type ribbing for centering and aligning such woven fabric belting it has proven most effective when used on conventional belting of leather, rubber and/or canvas. This is especially so when used on longer reaches of narrow belting and has proven equally effective at slow and high speeds.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description and claims in the light of the accompanying single sheet of drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a roller showing the embodiment of the scalloped tangent belt engaging ribbing of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section through the ribbing and a portion of the roller of FIG. 1 as seen along line 2-2 therein and at larger scale with respect thereto;

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of the ribbing shown in FIG. 2 and along line 33 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 showing the tangent belt engaging surface of the ribbing;

FIG. 5 is a section through FIG. 3 taken along line 55 in both FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 to show a limited exposure of the scalloped tangent of the ribbing beyond the surface of the roller; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in section lengthwise through a portion of a roller having ribbing set in accordance with that of FIG. 5 and at approximately the scale of FIG. 2.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, a typical roller for supporting and driving a belt and designated 10 includes a plurality of spirally tending rib l 1 in a conventional manner. The spiral ribbing 11 may be wound about the roller surface to create an inwardly tending influence-upon belting for centering the latter. This is usually the case on drive rollers. In the case of idler rollers the spiraled ribbing is wound opposite to that shown in FIG. 1 to influence the belting to spread outwardly from center. For further details in connection with center line tracking and aligning ribbed type rollers for belting reference may be had to my co-pending application Ser. No. 183,808.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The ribbing ll of the present invention is provided with a surface configuration where it tangently engages the belting B so as to obtain maximum traction relative thereto. As depicted in FIGS the ribbing 11 is round stock wire W adapted to be applied to the roller 10 in equally spaced spiral grooves G formed therein at de sired pitches. To achieve tapering on a true cylindrical roller 10 the grooves G may be of shallow depth at center M midway the ends of the roller and gradually deeper as they spirally approach the ends thereof as shown in FIG. 1.

In accordance with the present invention the belt engaging tangent surface 15 of the round stock wire W is scalloped as at 16. The scalloping 16 is formed by equally spaced V-shaped grooves 17 formed transversely of the tangent line and axis of the wire ribbing 11. The V-shaped grooves extend into the wire ribbing 11 to a depth less than the radius thereof in other words, only chordally of the diameter of the round stock wire.

As best seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 the base or valley 18 of each V groove is rounded and forms a chord across the round stock wire in the upper half thereof transversely of the lineal dimension of the wire W. As seen in FIG. 4 these uniformly spaced grooves 17 appear as oval shape configurations due to the receding margins thereof in conjunction with the round surface of the round stock wire W. Moreover, the spacing of the Vv grooves 17 from each other is such as to provide tooth like lands 19 across the tangent line. These tooth like lands 19 are of lesser dimension than the open face of each V-shaped groove 17. As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 the lands 19 are about one-fourth the dimension of the V-shaped valley, lengthwise the rib 11.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 each of the tooth like lands 19 is provided with an apex 20 at one side only. The apexes 20 are preferably crescent shaped and at the trailing side of each land 19 in relation to the direction of rotation of the roller 10 as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 2. In the alternative, the crescent shaped apex 20 on each land 19 may be said to be disposed on the leading facet 21 of each V-shaped groove 17 in relation to the direction of rotation of the roller.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 it will be noted that the belt B intermittently falls between the lands 19 to thereby afford traction to the belting B along the tangent surface of each spiral rib 11. In conjunction with the traction afforded by the scalloped tangent lines, each crescent shaped apex 20 affords a gripping action against the belt B to obtain a positive traction and movement of the belt in timed relation with the speed of the roller 10. When viewed, as seen in FIG. 1, the belt B has a tendency to engage the surface of the roller between each convolute of the spiraled ribbing.

' For best results, about a four to one ratio affords very I able with TEF LON "coated fiberglas belting when engaged by the saw tooth effect of the crescent like apexes of the ribbing 11-. For such delicate belting it has been found desirable to taper the roller 10 from center toward its ends as shown in FIG. 5. In such case each groove G is of uniform depth into the peripheral surface of the tapered roller and the spiraled ribbing 11 set to the desired depth therein. The depth of setting may vary from a maximum as illustrated in FIG. 4 to a minimum in which the valley 18 of each V-shaped groove 17 across the ribbing 11 is substantially aligned with the peripheral surface of the tapered roller.

By the provision of such scalloping 16 along the belt engaging tangent 15 on ribbing a more positive traction is achieved between the roller and belt. This is true in connection with conventional leather, rubber and canvas belting trained over steel rollers provided with scalloped belt engaging tangent in accordance with the present invention. It out performs rubber lagged rollers and as a result enables the driving of longer reaches of belting and narrower widths thereof. More particularly, however, the serrated or scalloped belt engaging tangent of the present invention is especially effective in tracking, centering and aligning thin filmed strips of woven fibrics even when TEFLON" coated.

Having thus described my improved form of belt engaging tangent for ribbingon tracking rollers it will be appreciated that the same may be suscepible to alterations, variations and/or modifications without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention therein as called for in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a belt aligning and tracking roller having a peripheral surface provided with belt aligning ribbing thereon; the combination therewith of a scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing comprising evenly spaced grooves formed transversely across said belt engaging surface.

2. The scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing in accordance with that of claim 1 in which said grooves are V-shaped.

3. The scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing in accordance with that of claim 2 in which said V-shaped grooves are spaced by tooth like lands of lesser dimension than the open facet of the V-shaped grooves.

4. The scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing in accordance with that of claim 3 in which each of said tooth like lands has an apex formed thereon adjacent at least one margin of each of said V-shaped grooves.

5. The scalloped belt aligning ribbing in accordance with that of claim 1 in which said ribbing is of round stock having a scalloped belt engaging tangent surface.

6. The round stock ribbing in accordance with that of claim 5 in which said scalloped belt engaging tangent surface includes a plurality of equally spaced V-shaped grooves formed transversely of the lineal dimension of each round stock ribbing at said tangent surface thereof.

7. The round stock ribbing in accordance with that of claim 6 in which each of said V-shaped grooves have their valley apexes disposed chordally of said round stock ribbing at a depth less than the radial dimension thereof.

8. The round stock ribbing in accordance with that of claim 7 in which each of said grooves has a crescent shaped apex formed along one margin thereof facing an adjacent groove.

9. The belt aligning and tracking rollers in accordance with claim 1 having round stock ribbing wound thereon provided with equally spaced V-shaped scallopes formed transversely of their belt engaging tangent surface and exposed beyond the peripheral surface of such roller radially a distance within the depth of each of said V-shaped grooves in said belt engaging tangent surface.

10. In belt aligning and tracking rollers in accordance with claim 9 including spirally tending round stock ribbing having tooth like lands along said belt engaging tangent surface provided with a crescent like apex along one margin of each of said V-shaped grooves therein.

11. In a belt aligning and tracking roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said roller includes a generally cylindrical member having spiral grooves provided in the outer surface thereof, and wherein said ribbing includes one or more lengths of wire wound about said member and disposed within said spiral grooves.

' 12. In a belt aligning and tracking roller as recited in claim 11 wherein said spiral grooves have a greater depth of groove near the ends of said member than at the center of said member, and said lengths of wire are of a single gauge larger than themaximum depth of groove so that when disposed within said spiral grooves, the lengths of wire project above the surface of said member'to form a belt engaging roller surface which is effectively tapered along the length of the roller.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 1, ."suscepible" should read susceptible line 43, "lopes" should read lops Signed and sealed this 8th day of October-1974.,

(SEAL) :IttGSt:

MCCOY M. 0115:3011 JR.

0. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents F (,RM PO-IOSG 10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 U.5 GOVENNMENY PRINTING OFFICE 

1. In a belt aligning and tracking roller having a peripheral surface provided with belt aligning ribbing thereon; the combination therewith of a scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing comprising evenly spaced grooves formed transversely across said belt engaging surface.
 2. The scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing in accordance with that of claim 1 in which said grooves are V-shaped.
 3. The scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing in accordance with that of claim 2 in which said V-shaped grooves are spaced by tooth like lands of lesser dimension than the open facet of the V-shaped grooves.
 4. The scalloped belt engaging surface on such ribbing in accordance with that of claim 3 in which each of said tooth like lands has an apex formed thereoN adjacent at least one margin of each of said V-shaped grooves.
 5. The scalloped belt aligning ribbing in accordance with that of claim 1 in which said ribbing is of round stock having a scalloped belt engaging tangent surface.
 6. The round stock ribbing in accordance with that of claim 5 in which said scalloped belt engaging tangent surface includes a plurality of equally spaced V-shaped grooves formed transversely of the lineal dimension of each round stock ribbing at said tangent surface thereof.
 7. The round stock ribbing in accordance with that of claim 6 in which each of said V-shaped grooves have their valley apexes disposed chordally of said round stock ribbing at a depth less than the radial dimension thereof.
 8. The round stock ribbing in accordance with that of claim 7 in which each of said grooves has a crescent shaped apex formed along one margin thereof facing an adjacent groove.
 9. The belt aligning and tracking rollers in accordance with claim 1 having round stock ribbing wound thereon provided with equally spaced V-shaped scallopes formed transversely of their belt engaging tangent surface and exposed beyond the peripheral surface of such roller radially a distance within the depth of each of said V-shaped grooves in said belt engaging tangent surface.
 10. In belt aligning and tracking rollers in accordance with claim 9 including spirally tending round stock ribbing having tooth like lands along said belt engaging tangent surface provided with a crescent like apex along one margin of each of said V-shaped grooves therein.
 11. In a belt aligning and tracking roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said roller includes a generally cylindrical member having spiral grooves provided in the outer surface thereof, and wherein said ribbing includes one or more lengths of wire wound about said member and disposed within said spiral grooves.
 12. In a belt aligning and tracking roller as recited in claim 11 wherein said spiral grooves have a greater depth of groove near the ends of said member than at the center of said member, and said lengths of wire are of a single gauge larger than the maximum depth of groove so that when disposed within said spiral grooves, the lengths of wire project above the surface of said member to form a belt engaging roller surface which is effectively tapered along the length of the roller. 